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Bhatkal — A reclusive man with many names
Punish my son if he is guilty, says father
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Iran summons Indian envoy to protest its ship’s detention Don’t defend Asaram Bapu, BJP tells its leaders
Check onion prices, Delhi HC tells Centre
Students not served midday meals will get allowance RS takes up Bill to scrap collegium system of appointing judges
Dabholkar case: Hindu right-wing group member detained
National commission ready with first draft of Bill of Rights for Women
Durga meets Mulayam; may be reinstated
Move to fill JPC posts angers Oppn
Arunachal rape accused sent to police custody
Bifurcation divides Left in Andhra
Farmers prefer GM crops due to high yield, claims Pawar
Bhutan PM likely to brief India on talks with China
BJP discusses micro-management of 2014 poll at Rajnath’s dinner party
NIA chief holds meeting on Bodh Gaya blasts case
Ministerial team to visit Indo-Myanmar border
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Bhatkal — A reclusive man with many names
New Delhi, August 29 He has been operating under different aliases — Shahrukh, Sivanand, Ahmed, Anjar Hussian, Dr Imram — for logistical operations and carrying out terror strikes in India. A master of disguise with uncanny ability to remain off the surveillance radar meant Bhatkal (30), whose real name is Yasin Mohd Zarar Ahmed Siddabappa, eluded the police since being questioned in 2005 for the blast outside the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. His name first cropped up in 2008 when two of the September-2008 Delhi-blast accused were arrested and told investigators Bhatkal was their teacher in assembling bombs. In 2010, he secured a passport issued under the name of Anjar Hussian from Ranchi. Son of a garment trader, Bhatkal had parted ways with his father who did not approve of his son’s radical ways. Bhatkal is a sobriquet inspired from his cousins Riyaz and Iqbal Shahbandri — also known as the Bhatkal brothers — who originally founded the IM. Post the Batla House encounter in Delhi in October 2008, the IM stopped sending emails to media houses claiming responsibility for each blast and shifted out of its usual hideouts. Bhatkal along with his teams slowly managed to strike at will. He played a crucial role in planning and executing the 13/7 train blasts in Mumbai in 2006, the Delhi blasts in 2010, the Chinnaswamy stadium blasts in Bangalore in 2010, the German Bakery blast in Pune in 2010 and the Delhi High Court blasts in 2011. Since 2009, sleuths had come close to catching Bhatkal on four occasions - once each in Karnataka, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. In October 2008, the Karnataka Police was slow in conducting a raid on a hideout near Kopa in Chikamagalur after carrying out raids on IM operatives in Mangalore. It gave enough time for Yasin Bahtkal to escape. In December 2009, Bhatkal was arrested by the Shakespeare Sarani police station in Kolkata in a theft case. Bhatkal, however, convinced the police that he was Bulla Mallik (26), son of Karthik Mallik. Subsequently, IB informer Naquee Ahmed Sheikh tipped off the Delhi Police and the IB about Yasin’s scheduled meeting with his landlady at Byculla. But before Yasin could arrive, the Maharashtra ATS picked up the landlady, allowing Bhatkal to slip away. In 2011, Bhatkal escaped again when his father-in-law was arrested in Chennai.
Wanted by M’rashtra ATS
Mumbai: The anti-terror squad of the Maharashtra Police has initiated the process to take custody of Yasin Bhatkal, who is wanted in eight cases in the state, including Pune’s German Bakery blast. “Bhatkal is wanted in connection with eight cases in Maharashtra. The anti-terror squad of the Maharashtra Police would like to take his custody,” Maharashtra's Home Minister RR Patil said.
Hyderabad cops to question Bhatkal
Hyderabad: The Indian Mujahideen co-founder will be interrogated by the Hyderabad Police in connection with the bomb blasts that rocked the city in February this year. He will be examined by the police for his role in the February 21 explosions that ripped through a busy market area at Dilsukhnagar (see pic) in the city, leaving 18 dead and several injured.
Delhi, Surat police to seek custody
New Delhi/Ahmedabad: The Delhi Police’s counter-terror unit, Special Cell, will seek Yasin Bhatkal’s custody. Yasin had set up an arms manufacturing unit at Meer Vihar in west Delhi’s Nangloi area. The Surat police will also seek his custody for his alleged role in planting bombs in the city in 2008. — TNS
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Punish my son if he is guilty, says father
Bangalore, August 29 Bhatkal’s father Zarar Siddibapa (Yasin Bhatkal’s real name is Ahmed Siddibapa) told mediapersons at Bhatkal, a sleepy coastal town 460 km north of Bangalore, he was relieved that his son had been arrested and not killed by the police. He said he had faith in the judicial process and that his son should be punished if found guilty. Zarar Siddibapa, who used to be a cloth merchant at Dubai and has taken retirement now, said in a statement issued jointly with his brother Yakub he was relieved by the news of his son’s arrest because “the truth will come out and our fears that he would be eliminated in a fake encounter have been set to rest”. Zarar said wrong information was being circulated through the media about his son. He claimed Ahmed Siddibapa, alias Yasin Bhatkal, was born in 1983 and studied at Bhatkal up to class X. Zarar said contrary to reports in a section of the media that his son went to Pune at a young age, “he had never set foot on Pune to our knowledge until he disappeared from Dubai” (Bhatkal was named an accused in the German Bakery blast in Pune in 2011). He said his son, who could not pass the matriculation examination, left for Dubai in November 2005 and disappeared from Dubai in January 2007. Since then, “despite the best efforts of the family and the Dubai Intelligence, Ahmed Sidibapa could not be traced”. He said the principle that every person was innocent until proven guilty should be followed and urged the media to refrain from conducting a Yasin’s “media trial”. A section of the media has reported that Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, two alleged terrorists, were Yasin’s brothers. An official in the Crime branch of the Bangalore police said Riyaz and Iqbal were not related to Yasin. While there were reports that the Karnataka Police had also taken part in the operation to arrest Bhatkal, Bangalore (City) Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said: “We had no role in the arrest of Bhatkal.” He said Bhatkal was wanted in two cases of bomb blasts in the city. “He is wanted in two cases in Bangalore - the bomb blasts in 2008 and 2010,” Auradkar said adding that the city police would seek his custody for interrogation. One woman died in the serial blasts that rocked the city on July 25, 2008, while 15 persons, including five security men, were injured in the twin blasts near the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in the city centre on April 17, 2010, an hour before a T20 match of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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Iran summons Indian envoy to protest its ship’s detention Tehran, August 29 In a meeting with Srivastava yesterday, Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania Seyyed Abbas Araqchi conveyed the Iranian government's "deep concern" at the seizure of the ship Diyanat at Mundra port and the "mistreatment" of its crew. Araqchi demanded the immediate release of the vessel and its crew, state-run Press TV reported on its website. The move came a day after the External Affairs Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Gholamreza Ansari to protest the detention of an Indian oil tanker by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps since August 12. Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh summoned Ansari to lodge the protest and demanded the early release of the tanker. The tanker was seized in the Persian Gulf while carrying crude from Basrah in Iraq and was taken to Bandar Abbas port. During his meeting with the Indian envoy, the Deputy Foreign Minister highlighted the "friendly ties between Tehran and New Delhi", Press TV reported.
— PTI Cargo vessel held AT mundra
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Don’t defend Asaram Bapu, BJP tells its leaders
New Delhi, August 29 While Uma and vice-president Prabhat Jha called allegations against Asaram “a well-planned Congress conspiracy”, their colleague from Madhya Pradesh, state minister Kailash
Vijaywarghiya, locked horns with the anchor of a news channel while defending the controversial
godman. Asaram himself resorted to the same defence today, blaming his woes on “Madam and her son (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi)” — an allegation which was promptly laughed off by Congress spokesperson Renuka
Chowdhury. From the day the controversy broke, the BJP had adopted a “safe” route on the issue, saying the law would take its own course, but the way some of the senior party leaders appeared on TV channels to defend Asaram apparently upset the party’s election committee chief Narendra
Modi. Sources say Vijaywarghiya’s vociferous reactions particularly infuriated the Gujarat CM, who conveyed his displeasure to Rajnath
Singh. Asaram controls a sizable vote bank, which is one of the reasons why leaders from Madhya Pradesh, where he also has an ashram and a huge following, have been supporting him. But Modi - who is now in charge of steering the party’s fortunes ahead of 2014, believes that any perceived links of the BJP with the man could prove to be a turn-off for young
and new voters, particularly those vocal on the social media, where the Gujarat Chief Minister has a large following.
Asaram blames Sonia, Rahul
Bhopal: Asaram Bapu on Thursday sought to drag Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul into the sexual assault controversy surrounding him. "I am not against any party but people tell me that it is at the instance of Madam and her son that this is happening. For four-years-and-a-half, those behind (religious) conversions are getting their support," Asaram told reporters without naming Sonia or Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. — PTI
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Check onion prices, Delhi HC tells Centre
New Delhi, August 29 A Bench comprising Chief Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru passed the order while disposing of a PIL filed by a social worker contending that the government was apathetic towards checking onion prices which gone up to Rs 60 in Delhi. Blaming the government for its failure to check hoarding of the commodity by traders, the petitioner had pleaded for invoking the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act. Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve
Mehra, however, said the government had taken several steps. The prices of onion mainly depended on its production and arrival in the market. Trends in the past showed the prices tend to peak during September-November as buffer stock got depleted, while the cost slumped in January-March every year. The Centre had requested the highest onion producing state Maharashtra to maintain a steady supply of the commodity to Delhi and other parts of the country. Delhi’s standing counsel Zubeda Begum assured the Bench that onions were being sold at Mother Dairy outlets at Rs 45.
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Students not served midday meals will get allowance
For the first time in the history of the midday meal programme in the country, children will have to be compensated with cash if they are not served the promised meal on any given day. This cash allowance will be a legal entitlement of all schoolchildren aged 6 to 14 years if their school management and the state government fail to keep the promise of nutrition. The entitlement has been guaranteed under the National Food Security Act, which is set to become a reality after the Lok Sabha passed it recently and the Rajya Sabha scheduled to take up the Bill this Monday. Top HRD Ministry sources said they were in the process of calculating the midday meal allowance that would have to be paid to students against missed meals by the respective state governments under the food security law. Rough estimates suggest per student cash allowance against a missed midday meal in primary school (I to V) at around Rs 5 and for upper primary student at Rs 7.50. “These are preliminary calculations considering the current sanctioned cooking cost per child in primary school is Rs 3.34 and for upper primary it is Rs 5. Cash allowance would, however, have to factor in indicators other than just the cooking cost,” sources in the ministry said. Similar cash allowances will be given to children aged 6 months to 6 years who are promised an age appropriate meal free of cost in a local anganwari under the existing Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS). All pregnant women and lactating mothers, being specified beneficiaries under the National Food Security Bill 2013, would be entitled to food security allowance. “After the President signs the Bill and it takes the shape of a law, the Central guidelines on the midday meal programme and the ICDS would have to be modified to reflect the legal guarantee of food security allowances. States would have to ensure these,” said an HRD Ministry official. The National Food Security Bill says: “In case of non supply of the entitled quantities of foodgrain or meals to entitled persons under the Bill, such persons shall be entitled to receiving such food security allowance from the state government concerned to be paid to each person within such time and manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government.”
Legal entitlement
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RS takes up Bill to scrap collegium system of appointing judges
New Delhi, August 29 Law Minister Kapil Sibal introduced a constitutional amendment Bill as well as the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2013, in the upper house amid commotion as the BJP-led Opposition members were protesting against the government’s move to fill two vacancies on the 2G spectrum Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) without the consent of the other parties. The Bill, which entails a Constitutional amendment, seeks to set up a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to recommend appointment and transfer of Supreme Court and High Court judges. The Bill was given approval by the Union Cabinet last week and seeks to make the participants in the selection accountable and introduce "transparency" in the selection process. It is a move seen by the judiciary as an attempt by the executive to have a say in appointment of members to the higher judiciary. India perhaps is the only country where judges appoint judges. The Bill seeks to set up a panel headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to appoint and transfer senior judges. The other members of the proposed Commission would be two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, the Law Minister, two eminent persons as members and Secretary (Justice) in the Law Ministry as Convener. The Leader of the Opposition of either House of Parliament will be part of a committee to be set up to nominate two eminent persons to the JAC. The committee will also have the CJI and the Prime Minister as other members. The eminent persons will be nominated for a period of three years and will not be eligible for re-nomination. The views of the Governors, Chief Ministers and respective Chief Justices of the 24 High Courts will be elicited in writing for appointment of judges as per the procedure which could be determined by the JAC. The Centre will intimate the Commission about vacancies in SC and HCs. It specifies that no act or proceedings of the JAC shall be questioned or shall be invalidated merely on the ground of existence of any vacancy in the panel or defect in the constitution.
Moving forward
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Dabholkar case: Hindu right-wing group member detained
Mumbai, August 29 The 31-year-old activist, Sandip Shinde, was picked up from the Sanstha’s headquarters at Ramnathi in Goa’s Ponda taluka. According to the state police, a team of investigators from Pune accompanied by a team from the Goa police went to the Sanstha’s ashram on Wednesday and conducted an hour-long search after which they questioned Shinde. Subsequently, Shinde was brought to Pune. So far, he has not been arrested, police said. The Sanstha is already on the radar of security agencies for carrying out attacks at various places.
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National commission ready with first draft of Bill of Rights for Women
New Delhi, August 29 The National Commission for Women (NCW), tasked with the responsibility of preparing the Bill, has readied its first draft which it will discuss with experts at a national convention called here on September 6. The Bill for the first time recognises that isolated guarantees to women won’t help and an entire range of rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural - must be guaranteed. Member of Verma panel Gopal Subramanium is helping the NCW with the draft. The draft legislation, a copy of which The Tribune has accessed, contains 20 Articles to provide specific rights to women, the first two dealing with the Right to Equality and Non-discrimination and the Right to Life and Bodily Integrity. These articles talk about prohibition of honour killings by law and eradication of caste panchayats. For the first time, a restriction against commercial portrayal of women by the media is sought for with the article stating, “The state shall protect the bodily integrity of a woman by not commercialising and objectifying her body. It shall ensure that women should not to be portrayed in a derogatory manner by the media and that censor guidelines be stringently formulated. These norms shall be binding on commercial advertising as well.” Dealing with the issue of bodily integrity, the Bill of Rights in Article 2 says that the state shall ensure specific provisions relating to “honour killings”, considering these as acts used to prevent people from choosing their partners in marriage outside their religion. “Appropriate steps shall be taken to stop khap panchayat, casteist-communal organisations and other kinds of vigilante groups which curb the woman’s right to life and bodily integrity,” it says. Speaking of the Right to Political and Public Life, Article 3 of the Draft Bill says the state shall ensure that parties mandatorily field women candidates for one-third of the seats they contest in each state and ensure that one-third seats in legislatures and both houses of Parliament are reserved for women. Besides talking of state funding of Dalit women candidates who want to fight elections, the Bill of Rights, for the first time, seeks to ensure that one-third of the judiciary in each state and the Supreme Court also comprises women and that retired women judges of the Supreme Court are given an equal chance to head statutory bodies like the National Human Rights Commission. Pressing for a Uniform Civil Code, the Bill says the state would be responsible for taking appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage, choice of partner and number of children and must endeavour to bring about a uniform civil code for women. The Bill is inspired by the rights guaranteed to women by the Constitution and international conventions such as Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It seeks to make provisions such that these rights are justiciable in practice and urges the Government to withdraw its reservations to CEDAW Articles 16 (1) and (2) in the interest of women and girl children. On Article 16 (1) of the Convention, Government of India has declared that it practises a policy of non-interference in the personal affairs of any community.
Towards a fair deal
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Durga meets Mulayam; may be reinstated
Lucknow, August 29 The DM had given Nagpal a clean chit and since then, a section in the state government had been demanding his suspension for reportedly being mainly responsible for demolition of the mosque. It has now emerged that instead of challenging her suspension in either the High Court or Supreme Court, the 28-year old IAS officer has taken recourse to political intervention by meeting the party patriarch to explain her stand. It is believed to be a matter of time before her suspension orders are revoked. The 2009-batch officer posted as the SDM (Sadar) of Gautam Budh Nagar was suspended on July 27 for allegedly ordering the demolition of a mosque being illegally built on gram sabha land. It is widely believed that Nagpal was suspended for attempting to rein in the illegal sand mafia of Greater Noida closely associated with an influential Samajwadi Party leader.
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Move to fill JPC posts angers Oppn
New Delhi, August 29 The motion moved by the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev, appointing Pradeep Bhattacharya (Congress) and Ashok S Ganguly (nominated) on account of vacancies created by EMS Natchiappan (Congress) who became a Minister and Tiruchi Siva (DMK), whose term ended last month, was carried by a voice vote in a din as the Opposition members protested that the
move would affect balance of the 30-member panel comprising 20 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Having been unsuccessful in steering the motion last week, the government moved it today even as the BJP, the Left members raised objections while the Janata Dal (United) said views of the party besides the BSP and others who had greater number of members in the House be taken on board. Opposition Leader Arun Jaitley cautioned that the precedent being adopted would have “dangerous consequences” since both the members proposed were of the government without taking the views of the Opposition into consideration. “Numbers matter, remembering what has happened (in JPC). A Parliamentary Committee always represents the strength of various political parties. Government is taking away both the vacancies. This has never happened... This is against Parliamentary norms and extremely dangerous. The precedent they are setting is extremely bad,” Jaitley said. Sources in the Parliament said the government initially offered the seat vacated by the DMK to the party, but the latter did not take the offer. The DMK too was opposed to the report as its member and then Telecom Minister A Raja had been named in the draft.
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Arunachal rape accused sent to police custody
Guwahati, August 29 IGP Garima Gupta rushed to Likabali area on Thursday morning following mounting tension in the area. The teacher from Kerala, Vipin Wisvan, who allegedly raped the girls for the past three years, was produced before a local court and remanded to police custody for 14 days. An angry mob damaged two vehicles and furniture of the school while police had to open fire in the air to disperse agitators who had laid siege to the police station demanding that the rapist be handed over to them for ‘public trial’ last evening, West Siang SP SC Yadav said. The officer in-charge of Likabali police station was injured as he was hit in the face by a missile released by someone from the mob and later referred to State Hospital, Naharlagun. Many people had gheraoed the police station, demanding that the alleged rapist be handed over to them. The police personnel, for self-defence, had to fire in the air after the mob started pelting the police station with stones. Many vehicles were damaged by the protesting mob. West Siang DC MK Sahoo said, “We have recommended to the state government that a four-member medical board with forensic expert be constituted to conduct a medical examination of the victims."
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Bifurcation divides Left in Andhra
Hyderabad, August 29 While the CPI is in favour of formation of separate Telangana state, the CPM is opposed to the bifurcation of linguistic states. This ideological difference has spawned a bitter war of words between the two fraternal cousins who have a long history of waging joint struggles on public issues. The slanging match has intensified after the state CPI secretary K Narayana recently issued a strongly-worded open letter, accusing the CPM of creating hurdles in the way of formation of Telangana state. The CPI has thrown its weight behind the Telagnana statehood movement while CPM cadres are actively participating in the ongoing mass agitation in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, jointly referred as Seemandhra, in support of the united AP cause. When the creation of Telangana state became a fait accompli with the Congress Working Committee’s July 30 announcement on bifurcation, the CPM came up with a nuanced response, saying that the division of the state could be acceptable only when “social justice” was done to the people of Seemandhra. This posturing has annoyed the state CPI leaders who assailed their Marxist counterparts for shifting their stand for political expediency. The CPM, on its part, spoke about the “infiltration” of CPI cadres into its unit in the Telangana region. In an open letter, CPI Secretary Narayana demanded that the CPM come out categorically in support of the Telangana cause in deference to the wishes of the people of the region. “It is this indecision of the CPM leadership that has caused differences between the left parties,” he said. Despite being a dominant political force in the AP in the past, the Left has been steadily losing the support base over years. In the 294-member State Assembly, the CPI and CPI M have four and one MLA, respectively. The two parties had contested the 2009 Assembly elections in alliance with the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP). However, in the changed political dynamics, they appear to be gearing up for lonely battles in the 2014 polls.
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Farmers prefer GM crops due to high yield, claims Pawar
New Delhi, August 29 "The farmer is wiser than me. It is not proper to say Bt cotton is not useful," he said during the Question Hour, responding to several queries from members on the efficacy of such crops. Pawar pointed out that pesticide use had fallen from 46 per cent to 21 per cent since Bt cotton production had increased and this showed the benefit of the crop to the farmer. He said countries like the US engage in propaganda against genetically modified crops "but they themselves are growing such crops and even exporting them to us." "The time has come to solve the food security problem of this country," said Pawar. He maintained that growing Bt cotton is "a very sensible decision" and the income of farmers has increased substantially. "Income per hectare has increased from Rs 7,000 to Rs 16,000 since cultivation of Bt cotton," he said. Pawar, however, rued the fact that very few states had agreed to allow scientific tests of GM crops.
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Bhutan PM likely to brief India on talks with China
New Delhi, August 29 Tobgay will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday apart from meeting other top Indian leaders and seek New Delhi’s help to boost his country’s economy and ease liquidity crunch. He is scheduled to meet Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid during the six-day visit. The visit assumes significance against the backdrop of a controversy between the two countries on the eve of elections in Bhutan in July when India withdrew oil and gas subsidies to the tiny Himalayan nation. India argued the subsidies were withdrawn due to technical issues, while Thimphu suspected New Delhi’s move was prompted by Bhutan’s friendly overtures towards China. National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh had travelled to Thimphu earlier this month to mend fences with Bhutan against the backdrop of the subsidy issue. It is understood that Menon also counselled the Bhutan Government on how Thimphu should handle its boundary talks with China and ensure that India’s vital strategic interests were not affected. Sources said New Delhi would like to know the details of the 21st round of boundary talks between Bhutan and China held in Thimphu on August 22. Tobgay will also seek grants from India to inject funds into Bhutan’s economy. Bhutan is facing an Indian rupee crunch that has hit the Himalayan country’s business community. India has assured Bhutan of assistance in addressing the economic situation. It is said to be working on a Rs 5,400-crore financial package for the neighbour. New Delhi and Thimphu are chalking out the financial assistance in three categories - Rs 4,500 crore for the 11th Five Year Plan, Rs 500 crore as an “economic stimulus plan” and Rs 400 crore for spillover activities from the previous 10th Five Year Plan.
On the table
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BJP discusses micro-management of 2014 poll at Rajnath’s dinner party New Delhi, August 29 Although Rajnath Singh himself confirmed that the highlight of the evening was a presentation on management of elections by IT expert Rajesh Jain, the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister at the event on a day when top brass of the party’s ideological fountainhead RSS held meetings in the Capital was enough to start up assumptions that more could be expected. Top leaders of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Gopal Krishna and others, are holding meetings, apparently for preparations of the organisation’s working committee meeting due to be held in October. But with Modi also around, it is expected that the sphere of consultations would be wide. The Gujarat CM is expected to kick off his UP tour next month and the BJP-RSS combine has to take a call on the Ram Mandir issue, especially in the light of less-than-expected impact of the VHP’s controversial 84-kosi parikrama yatra. As part of its strategy for 2014, the party has decided to campaign aggressively in about 300 constituencies where it believes they hold a fair chance, especially on those seats where the BJP drew a close second in the 2009 elections. For the rest, they are planning to pitch Modi’s development vision against “goof-ups” of the Congress. The party is also planning to use the Food Bill as a poll weapon against the Congress. When they approach the voters, the leaders will ask who benefited from the food security programme, sources say. Besides, the BJP leadership also does not believe that the Congress has a winner in the form of the food Bill, which is one of the reasons that it will not oppose the measure vehemently in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Party leaders say they will continue to lodge protest against the UPA’s attempt to fill two vacancies on the 2G joint parliamentary committee, but not at the cost of the food Bill. While any perceived opposition to the populistic measure can hurt them politically, they also believe that the Congress will not be able to reap its benefits in the next eight months or by the time the country goes to polls. Arun Jaitley has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, asking him to give a ruling in writing that henceforth casual vacancies in the committees would be filled through a voice vote. Speculation on PM candidate
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NIA chief holds meeting on Bodh Gaya blasts case
Gaya (Bihar), August 29 The NIA chief's meeting is taking place on a day when co-founder of Indian Mujahideen Yasin Bhatkal and his associate have been nabbed by a team of
Bihar police and NIA from Indo-Nepal border in Raxual in East Champaran district. During the closed door meeting, it was decided to keep a close eye over role of both Left and Right extremists groups in the 10 explosions that rocked Bodh Gaya on July 7, sources said.
— PTI
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Ministerial team to visit Indo-Myanmar border
Imphal, August 29 “A Cabinet team will soon make an inquiry on whether the proposed erection of border fencing near border pillar 76 would bifurcate several border villages of Manipur in Chandel district,” Gakhangam, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said while attending a public function here yesterday. He said the proposed fencing work was initiated by the governments of the two countries and all efforts would be made to protect the territories of the border state. Official sources said there was “no incursion or intrusion” of Myanmar Army or officials into villages near the border although attempts had been made by the latter to set up a base camp near border village of Holenphai, near border pillar 78, about a week ago. Sources said the state government had, on different occasions, urged the Centre to initiate steps for re-survey of undemarcated border areas around border pillar 76 by authorities of the two countries, adding that some activities by Myanmar army and officials were going on in the Myanmar side near this border pillar. Major political parties and several organisations including United Committee Manipur (UCM) whose representatives had visited the controversial border areas, have urged the Centre to immediately conduct re-survey of the borderline with Myanmar authorities. They had said if the proposed fencing was erected, more than 45 villages would fall within the territory of Myanmar.
— PTI
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Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal’s name along with his half-a-dozen aliases has been cropping up since 2008 with sporadic regularity from places such as Dubai, Karachi, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Madhubani and Darbhagna (Bihar) and off-late Nepal.
Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal’s arrest in Bihar has set off a flurry of activity in Karnataka, the state Bhatkal hails from.
Bhatkal’s father Zarar Siddibapa (Yasin Bhatkal’s real name is Ahmed
Siddibapa) told mediapersons at Bhatkal, a sleepy coastal town 460 km north of Bangalore, he was relieved that his son had been arrested and not killed by the police.
Embarrassed over the way some of the senior party leaders were openly seen defending rape accused Asaram
Bapu, BJP president Rajnath Singh has now issued a gag order, warning party members to refrain from jumping to the defence of the self-styled
godman.
Five months after the Parliament passed the historic Criminal Law Amendment Bill to enhance punishment for sexual assault, the Government has turned its attention to a comprehensive Bill of Rights for Women as recommended by the Justice JS Verma committee following the Delhi gang rape case of December 16, 2012.
New Delhi, August 29